The Past Is Gone...
by Neko-chan -Silvered Tongue
Summary: Juunana...one of the fewest written about characters in DBZ. What happened to him after the defeat of Cell? Read and find out...


****The Past Is Gone, The Future Forgotten, And The Present Is **__**Now****

  
  


_By: Neko-chan_

  
  
  
  


The world is made of many things, seen and unseen. When I was younger, before Dr. Gero turned me into an Android, I wanted to see the world. Now, I have the freedom to do so. Dr. Gero is dead, and I am not needed to fight. Yet.... Even though I now have the freedom to do as I wish, and fulfill my childhood dreams, I do not. My desire, my passion, my dreams disappeared on that long ago day.... The day that Dr. Gero changed me, and my sister, forever.

  
  


* * *

  
  


I stand on a cliff, staring out over the ocean. I notice how beautiful the ocean is, yet the beauty doesn't touch me, as it did when I was younger. I sigh, then walk away, headed for the old cottage that Juuhachi and myself once shared with our parents.

It is a humble cottage, standing at the cliff's base. The wood is warped with age, and the once white paint is peeling. I make a note to repaint it....eventually. A small garden once surrounded our home, but ever since my parents left, it has grown wild and unkept. The plants that_ do_ manage to grow are choked with weeds. Struggling for existence, the same way I am struggling for existence-or, at least, how I am struggling for the reason for my existence.

I smile cynically. Yes, I know the how and why of my existence. But I do not truly know why Dr. Gero chose my sister and myself for his experiments.

I came to our old home searching for answers. But I have only discovered more questions. _Maybe I should end this half-existence life._, I think, staring out over the ocean. I would die a peaceful death, and no one would really notice my disappearance. 

_Not even my twin sister._, I think bitterly. As I stare out over the ocean, contemplating ending my miserable existence, I notice something. A small raft, set adrift in the sea. At first I think that whoever was unlucky enough to be trapped in the raft would be dead by now, but I notice a movement. Not much, but enough to tell me that the raft's inhabitant is still alive.

I fly out, curious. It is a girl, about sixteen or so. Her hair is too dirty to tell what color it is; and she is tall, almost as tall as me. She has a fighter's build, and I briefly wonder whether or not she fought--before she was stuck on this raft. She is slender, but muscular; and obviously underweight.

I take pity on her, and decide to take her to my home. Maybe in taking care of her, I'll learn some of the answers to my many questions.

I reach down, and pick her up. Carrying her in my arms, I notice how light she is. Definitely underweight. I fly home, and once there, I wrap her in several blankets and wait for her to wake up.

I didn't have long to wait. After about one hour, she stirred. Groaning, she opened her eyes. I was shocked to see that they were almost as pale as my own, except hers were a clear, bright gray. She looked at me and tensed. Her clear gray eyes slowly darkened until they matched the color of storm clouds.

I smile at her softly, trying to reassure her that I posed no threat. 

It seemed that my reassurance only made her more suspicious, for she tensed even more and looked wildly around the room, searching for an exit.

"Calm down, please. I'm not going to hurt you. I am no threat.", I say, now trying to vocally assure her. "I saved you from a raft, floating in the sea."

"Who are you?", she asked, still suspicious. I step back, surprised. I expected her voice to sound harsh and gruff--a fighter's voice. To my surprise, her voice didn't sound like that at all. It was calm, soothing. Like a bubbling mountain stream coursing over pebbles.

"My name is Juunana.", I manage to reply.

At this, she finally relaxed. "Juunana-gou?", she asked. "The one who fought against the monster, Cell?"

I nod, the bitter reply on the tip of my tongue. "Yes. And I lost."

She stands, and shrugs off the blankets that I have placed around her. "Thank you for saving me. My name is Jade."

Again, I am surprised. Surely she doesn't mean Jade Arashi, the only female warrior, who Son Goku only just recently took as a pupil?

She looks at me and smiles at my shock. As if reading my mind, she says, "Yes, I am Jade Arashi. And it doesn't matter if you lose a fight, it only matters if you fought it well."

And for the third time, she surprises me. What type of warrior talks like that? The only person who even remotely sounded like that was Goku.

Snapping me out of my reverie, she asked, "I don't mean to annoy you, but can I take a bath? It's been a while, and I feel so dirty."

I nod, and she leaves, headed for the bathroom. Once she was gone, I went outside, and sat on the cliff's edge, pondering my new houseguest. It was as if someone or something could sense my unease and my confusion, and sent Jade to help me figure things out. I smile, for the first time in a very long time. _Maybe she'll be able to help me when even my own sister couldn't._, I think.

I sit on the edge of the cliff for a long time. How long? I do not know. I watched the sun set, and the stars came out; showing me exactly how insignificant I was in comparison with the universe.

The scent of honeysuckle and tiger lily reached my nose, and I turned around, knowing who to expect. Jade came out of the cottage, dressed in an old pair of jeans that I had been contemplating throwing out, and one of my (many) black shirts.

"Hope you don't mind me borrowing some of your old stuff.", she said as she sat next to me.

"No, I don't mind.", I say as I close my eyes, savoring the smell that came from her. I open my eyes, staring at her. Now clean, I could see that her skin was a pale ivory, bringing attention to her gray eyes. I could also see that her hair came to her waist, and was a rich vibrant red-orange. I stared at it, and a strange urge to touch and stroke it overcame me. I suppressed it--barely.

Jade tilted her head back, and a strand of her hair brushed my hand. Soft as silk., I think as I just barely stroke it.

Tilting my own head back, I ask, "What do you see when you look at the sky, Jade?"

She smiled. "I see eternity. I see that everyone has a role to play in the make-up of the universe, no matter how small they regard their role. That everyone has a place and a reason for being. That we aren't so important after all."

"Really?", I ask.

She looks at me, her expression thoughtful. I can feel myself redden under her gaze, something that has never happened to me.

"Yes. Everything has a reason.", she replied and then looked up at the sky again. "The smallest butterfly, which some may think has no reason for being in this universe, can create a storm, or even a hurricane, on the other side of the world. 

"Look at the stars. Many of them died centuries ago. Yet..... They still shed their light for us, and for other worlds, lighting the way home. Welcoming home wanderers, giving hope for weary travelers who lost their way in the woods. Even though they are dead and gone, they still have a purpose. 

"Goku understands this. He knows that anyone, no matter how evil they are, has a purpose and are capable of change. Look at Vegeta. Goku spared his life, and now you can see the change in the arrogant Saiya-jin no Oji. He's willingly fighting for our planet. He fell in love, even though he never vocalizes his love. If you want another example, just look at yourself. You were capable of change, you still are. The only thing is: You must be willing to change, Juunana."

At this, Jade stood up and walked back into the house. I stare after her, remembering her words.** _Anyone, no matter how evil, is capable of change...._**I sigh, then lean back, staring up and the stars and the spaces between.

_Is she right?_, I think. _Am I truly capable of change? But what about the saying, 'Evil never truly dies....it only festers.'? Am I evil? What am I exactly?_

I sigh, frustrated with my lack of answers. _And new questions._, I think sourly.

I rise, and head back to the small cottage. As I come nearer, I smell cooking food, and my stomach growls. I walk through the house, wondering where the delicious aroma was coming from. I finally pinpoint it to the kitchen, and my mouth waters at what I see. Dumplings, rice, chow mein, green tea, beef and broccoli, sweet and sour pork, kung pao chicken, and so much more.

"Hungry?", Jade asks as she stares at my drooling. For the second time that night, I blush. 

I mutely nod, still staring at the food. She sighed, then arranged the dishes on the table. Once she was seated herself, I quickly began eating. The food was wonderful!! Even better than ChiChi's famous cooking.

I ate until I was stuffed, and even then I managed dessert. When I finished, I leaned back and let out a contented sigh.

Jade looked at me and smirked. "So you liked my cooking?", she asked.

I let out another sigh, and say, "Yes, very much. It was delicious."

She smiled at me, that knowing, kind smile she has; and then stood up, headed for outside. I follow her, curious to see where she is going. She doesn't go anywhere, just walks to the edge of the cliff. I stop and stand behind her. Jade looks over her shoulder at me, and the look in her eyes excites me. It is the look that Juuhachi often had, when she was planning something devious or fun. Then Jade faces forward and runs to the very edge of the cliff, and jumps off of it. I run forward, scared that something awful would happen to her.

But nothing bad does happen. She brings her arms together and turns her jump into a dive. Then, once she had full control of her dive, she dipped gracefully into the water at the base of the cliff. I hold my breath, waiting for her to surface. After about ten minutes, she does. But she is not alone. A group of dolphins join her, and she plays with them, teasing them as they are teasing her. I sit, and watch the touching moment. Finally, after several minutes of play, Jade looks up and me and grins. I can hear her shout. "Come on and join me, Juunana! The water's nice, and the dolphins want another playmate!"

I grin back, and stand. Quickly, I shed my clothes, until I stand in only a pair of boxers. My grin broadens as I decide to cannon ball in, not do the graceful dive as Jade did.

My decision done, I run off the edge of the cliff, tucking my legs under me, and cannon ball next to her.

Under the water, I decide to play a game that I often played with Juuhachi. I come up underneath Jade and grab her legs, pulling her under. I could hear her muffled yell before she submerged. When she floated next to me, I grinned at her, taunting her as I kept my grip on her leg. She scowled, and I could hear her voice in my mind as she speaks with me telepathically,_ '**Let me go, baka! If you don't I'll have to kick your ass; and trust me, you don't want that to happen.'**_

I grin at her again, taunting her further. She heaved a much aggrieved sigh, bubbles spewing gracefully from her mouth. Then Jade held her hands at her side, as if holding a ball. My grin broadens when I realize what she is trying to do.

I then hear her mental voice in my mind, **_Ka.....Me....Ha....Me.....HA!!!!_**

Suddenly, a bluish-white ki ball forms in her cupped hands, and she shoots it at me. I manage to dodge it, but she surprises me when she controls the blast, making it follow me. I continue to dodge the blast, but somehow Jade manages to get closer with each dodge. Finally, when her blast is about to hit me, she cancels it out.

I stop, and look around. I begin to grow suspicious when I can't find Jade. I know she's planning something. And her attack does come, except from an unexpected quarter. One of Jade's new friend's, a dolphin, swims under me and lifts me up onto its back. That done, it swam to the surface and started doing tricks; one of them, jumping, with me on its back.

Finally I manage to get away. Jade greets me with a laugh; similar to the sound of bells sounding. I frown at her, then proceed to chase her. She lets out a delighted yelp, then dives under the surface of the water, using her ki to propel her forward.

Again, like the many times that night, I am surprised. I didn't know that Jade knew that trick. Then I smile, and follow her. _Goku probably taught her that trick._, I think as I try to catch up with her.

Each time it looked as if I would catch her, she would suddenly put on a burst of speed and pull away from me. Suddenly, without warning, Jade turned around and blew me a raspberry. Insulted, I renewed my chase; and put on an extra burst of speed. With that burst of speed, I was finally able to catch her.

I gloat over my victory as I fly towards shore, Jade carried snugly in my arms. She tries to wiggle out of my grasp, but I do not let her. Unknown to me, I have started to act like my old self. Like I did when I was around Juuhachi and before we were made into androids.

"Let me go!", Jade demands as we fly closer to shore. When I just continue my gloating, she starts poking me in my chest, trying to get my attention.

I look down at her, one of my eyebrows raised in amusement. "Why?", I ask.

"Because I said so.", she said haughtily, and looked at me out of the corner of her eye.

"And if I say no?", I ask.

She scowled at me, then childishly stuck her tongue at me. I stop in mid-flight, and stick my own tongue at her while making faces. Giving up, she starts to laugh. I know that I have won this argument, and I start to laugh with her. Eventually, her laughs turn into giggles, and she grins at me.

I stand there, floating a few feet above the water, mesmerized by her lips. The temptation is too great, and I lean forward and gently brush my lips against hers. She utters a startled gasp, but then surrenders to my gentle dominance. 

Kissing her, I feel giddy. Her smell surrounds me. Tiger lily and sea salt. Her lips are soft and yielding as I deepen the kiss. They fit mine perfectly.

After many minutes, I finally break the kiss. Jade looks at me, her eyes heavy-lidded. Slowly, she smiles at me.

"I've been wanting you to kiss me all day.", she murmurs against my ear.

I smile and hug her closer to my body. "I've been wanting to kiss you too.", I say. 

"Good.", she murmurs.

Slowly, I head back to the cottage. As I hover over the house that Juuhachi and myself grew up in, a new feeling overtakes me._ I'm home._, I think. _I'm finally home._

  
  


* * *

  
  


It is morning, and I am awake. The sun had finally decided to show itself, and it is slowly coming up over the horizon. I roll over in my bed and watch the sun rise through my open window. As I sit there, watching the sunrise, a sudden realization overcomes me. I had finally figured out the reason why Juuhachi decided to stay with the bald monk, and leave me. She was in love with him. Just as I was in love with Jade. I wanted to spend the rest of my long existence with her. 

Waking up in the morning with her warm body cuddled against mine. Her dark gray eyes heavy-lidded after I kiss her. I want to share everything with her. Everything. The past. The present. The future.

Thinking this, I quickly roll out of bed and begin to search the house, looking for Jade. She isn't anywhere. Finally, I check outside. She isn't there either. After many more minutes of searching, I finally decide to check her room. Like the rest of the house, it is empty. Except for a note left on a pillow.

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_Dear Juunana,_

_ I am so very sorry for leaving you. It's the hardest thing that I'll ever have to do. Please understand._

_I came here, to you, trying to help you. I could feel your pain and sorrow half a world away. I wanted to try my best to stop this total grief, this mind-numbing pain. But, I have found, staying here would just be more of a problem to you. I do not want to make your problems worse, and that is why I have to leave. I had many expectations about you, Juunana. And they were all wrong. You aren't the cold-hearted machine that Dr. Gero created you to be._

_And, also, another expectation I didn't expect to encounter: I didn't expect to fall in love. And that's what I did. I fell in love with you. I cannot tell you this to your face, because you probably don't love me; but I thought that you should know. I love you, Juunana, past and all. Please remember that._

_Goodbye,_

_Jade_

  
  


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Juunana looked down at the note in silence; and then, slowly, he crushed it to dust. _I'm_ _going after her.,_ he thought. _I will not loose something so dear to me again._

And, with that, he flew off over the ocean, searching for her ki signature.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Jade sat on the edge of a tall cliff, looking out over the ocean. She had been in the same position for hours, and not even the food that ChiChi tried to tempt her with had been enough to budge her. Finally, after many tries, ChiChi had given up, and had told Goku and his friends to leave her alone. That she was hurting deeply, and this form of meditation allowed some of her pain to be released.

So she had stayed like this, not moving at all. She had watched the sun set, instead imagining a pair of ice blue eyes staring out at her balefully. Night finally came, but instead of seeing the beautifully twinkling stars, Jade saw instead glossy black hair, as black as the depths of space.

And now, finally, it was dawn. 

Jade stood up and watched the sun slowly rise above the horizon, remembering how she had been in the same position with Goku many times before, sensei and apprentice welcoming the dawn and the start of a new day.

She walked closer to the cliff's edge, and it was then that she sensed him. He was right behind her, waiting to be acknowledged. Jade sighed, and turned around.

"You know why I left you.", she told him as she stared at his feet. As if gathering courage, her gaze slowly wandering upward until it reached his winter blue eyes, and stopped. "I would only be a distraction to you, and right now, you need peace. You need time to ponder your thoughts, and think about your future."

Juunana just stared at her silently for several minutes. Finally, he spoke: "You don't get it, do you? You aren't a distraction to me. Never. You, my little one, are part of me. You know me better than I know myself. And that is why I need you. You say I need peace. Well, I'm at peace when I'm with you. You think I need time to 'ponder my thoughts'. I don't. Without you, I'm dead; even though you've only been with me for a short while. And, finally, you say that I need to think about my future. Well, I have no future without you. When I think about tomorrow, or next week, or anytime in the future, all I see is me with you. Forever. Always." He looked thoughtful for a moment; then, as if he had never said it before, he said: "I love you."

Jade stared at Juunana in shock, her storm gray eyes wide in shock. "Pardon?" she asked. "I must be getting old, and hard of hearing. I could have just sworn that you told me that you love me."

Juunana smiled softly, faintly amused by her reaction. Then, stepping forward, he gathered her in his arms and held her close to his body. "Feel this?" he asked her, raising her hand to rest above his heart. "This beats for you, and for you alone. It belongs to you. Now and forever."

Jade gave a joyous cry, and she hugged him tightly back. Smiling up at him, she said, "Well, then I guess it's a good thing one of my ancestors made a wish on the Eternal Dragon--Shenlong. Any one of her descendants that wanted to become immortal, and live forever, were able to. They had to decide on their fourteenth birthday."

Juunana looked at her anxiously, and asked, "Jade, how old are you?"

Giving him a mischievous grin, she replied, "Forty. When my birthday came, I decided to be immortal. So, even if you want to get rid of me, you can't!"

Juunana smiled back, something that he had been doing more and more recently. "Sounds good to me," he said. Then he leaned forward and kissed her deeply, showing her with his lips how much he loved her. When they finally stopped, Juunana looked at Jade, and then he put a ring on her finger. An engagement ring.

Jade laughed, happy. She leaned forward and again they kissed. But this time, their kiss was short. When they broke apart, they slowly walked back to Goku's home, happy to tell their friends the good news.

Juunana and Jade were going to get married. And live happily ever after.


End file.
